Personalized Gift Cards

Posted on August 10, 2009
Filed Under Gift Cards

Personalized gift cards are really personalized prepaid debit cards that are spiced up just for gift giving. You load them up with money ahead of time (just as you would with prepaid debit cards) and you use them as if they were cash to purchase just about anything. That means you can take them to most retail stores and use them freely.

The two major differences between these personalized prepaid gift cards and normal debit cards is that the gift cards can’t be reloaded with money (you’re limited to spending the initial amount you placed on the card when you purchased it) and gift cards can be “tricked out” to personalize them and make them a more meaningful gift.

Why Are Personalized Gift Cards So Great?

Why do personalized gift cards make such a great gift? They’re one of the most convenient gift giving and gift buying solutions available today. They’re extremely easy to buy either online or through various retail outlets – so you can get them no matter where you live or work. They can be purchased in amounts as little as $25 and as much as $500 – which makes them great as simple, little gifts or as larger, more unique gift ideas.

Personalized gift cards are very flexible too. There are literally hundreds of gift card designs available and scores of messages that can be added to each card as well. Most personalized gift cards can be shipped the very next day (even overnight) after you purchase them so you can get them fast if you need to. Lastly, these cards are branded so when you get a personalized MasterCard gift card or the Visa equivalent, you’re getting something that can be used to make purchases everywhere a MasterCard or Visa are accepted – this gives you (or your recipient) a wide range of spending options.

How Do You Purchase a Card?

Personalized gift cards online all mostly work the same way. They start you off by allowing you to add a first and last name (of the recipient) and some kind of limited message of your choosing. Most companies give you either a choice from a list of canned messages (e.g. “Good Luck” or “Happy Anniversary,” etc.) or they let you “write your own” from anywhere up to 18 or 20 characters. Both the name and message are embossed on the card which gives it the personalized touch.

Also when you purchase online, you get to “personalize” a “Card Carrier” which is the folding carrier the card is attached to. You’ll usually be able to say who the card is from and add a personal message (limited to 100 to 200 characters) that will appear on the inside of the carrier. When your recipient opens the card, they’ll see who the gift’s from and read the message.

The Cost of the Card

These cards are not free. When you purchase the card, there will be a charge added on to the amount of money that you’re initially adding to the card (what you’re loading onto the card). That charge is how the card provider is making the bulk of their money (fair enough). You can expect it to be in the neighborhood of $4.95 up to $6.95 or more.

Interestingly enough, the amount goes up as the load you’re applying to the card goes up. You would think that it would cost the same amount to create and prepare each card regardless of the load so that a $500 card would have the same fee a $25 card would have but that’s not the case. When asked, a company might say that there’s more risk in producing the $500 card but it certainly isn’t intuitive to the buyer. After all, your credit isn’t at question here. So, even though it isn’t logical, expect to pay a little more for a higher load.

Administrative Fees

After you pay the up-front charge for the card itself, be aware that there are some additional fees you’ll probably incur. For instance there’s an Administrative Fee – This will probably be in the $2 to $3 range and will be charged monthly for as long as the card is valid. This type of fee normally doesn’t start until a month or more after you’ve purchased the card (sometimes six months) but keep in mind that it’s there and will be a constant subtraction from your balance until that balance hits $0.

Transaction Fees

Some gift cards have Transaction Fees as well. Every time you use the card to make a purchase, a small amount is subtracted and sent to the company. It can be as little as $0.10 or as much as $0.40, depending on the card. This is very much like the hidden Interchange Fee credit cards charge for purchases.

Balance Inquiry Fees

Balance Inquiry fees are another small fee that’s charged every time you find out what your card’s balance is – either online or at a retailer’s Point of Sale (POS) device – also known as a cash register.

Other Fees

There are still other fees that you might bump into but they’re not as likely as the ones above. For instance, if you lose your card and want it replaced, there will be a fee for that. If you decide to close the account out and obtain a refund from the card company, there will be a fee for that. And if you decide to purchase something in a foreign country, there will be a fee for the currency conversion. All in all you might be charged several different fees over the life of the card. It’s best to understand that going in.

Personalizing Options

There are literally hundreds of vivid gift card designs you can choose from when you’re creating your card. Most companies will have page after page of examples – everything from seasonal designs of Christmas or the 4th of July to eventful designs depicting weddings, birthdays, or graduations (note, for another graduation gift idea see my Student Debit Card page). And new designs are created every day.

If the stock designs and pictures aren’t enough, most gift card companies will also have an option that allows you to upload your own picture to the card. This makes personalized prepaid debit cards into truly personalized gifts.

Almost any picture can be acceptable but many pictures will be rejected if they contain certain images. For instance violent pictures, provocative pictures, images that might confuse the card-holder or the merchant, copyrighted images or materials, blatant advertising, or generally anything deemed unsuitable by the gift card company. You’re probably safe as long as your picture is a personal one.

And don’t forget the personal message you can also attach to the card when you “build” it, or the additional message you can attach to the card carrier. These are still more ways you can add your own personality to the gift.

Summing Up

The rap on gift cards in the past is that they just weren’t personal enough. It didn’t look like the giver put too much thought into the gift after all. But now that you can load your own picture and add a special personal greeting or message, things have changed. These cards now fit well as seasonal gifts, birthday gifts, wedding, gifts, graduation gifts, or any other gift. If fact, personalized gift card ideas aren’t really limited anymore. They’re simple, quick, and for the first time, you finally have just the right gift for that hard-to-shop-for friend or loved one.

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